Abstract [en]

Meeting patient’s next of kin after decease is a stressful meeting for both the next of kin and the advanced practice nurse. Preceding research showed that the next of kin sought to receive information that was easy to understand and that they seek solace from each other. The advanced practice nurse was experienced as a great source of comfort and support in the grieving process by next of kin. Professionalism and support mediated by the advanced practice nurse was of great importance for the next of kin’s experience of the hospitalization period. The aim of this study was to describe experienced intensive care unit nurses reflections of meeting next of kin to patients who are diseased. An interview study with a qualitative approach was done. The informants in this study could all be classified as the skilful and the expert nurse according to Benners stages of progression for the nurse. The informants described main themes to support and comfort the next of kin, they were; feeling secure, attentiveness, stillness. With the aid of these categories the informants experienced that they could create the optimal conditions in creating stillness in the storm that the next of kin are in after death has occurred.